


Black Cats on Halloween Night

by Chibi_Pix



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender, Voltron: Vehicle Force (1984)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Black Cats, Curses, Halloween, I'm doing my best, Illustrations, Magic, Witches, characters cursed to turn into cats, i don'r know how to tag, inspired by different medias, tagged as teen for some language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-27
Updated: 2020-10-27
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:53:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27227656
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chibi_Pix/pseuds/Chibi_Pix
Summary: Ten years ago, twins Pidge and Chip Holt went trick-or-treating and went to a questionable house.Ten years later, their friend, Keith, never gave up and continued searching for them, landing him in a Halloween adventure filled with cats, witches, magic, and tricks and treats.
Comments: 5
Kudos: 5





	Black Cats on Halloween Night

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Halloween, everyone! I know Halloween isn't for a few more days, but I thought to celebrate early by giving you guys this lovely fic with illustrations.  
> This fic takes all sorts of inspiration, especially Practical Magic, Hocus Pocus, and Kagamine Rin and Len' Black Cats of Halloween.  
> It's only rated for teen and up because of some minor use of language.  
> Anyway! I hope you enjoy!

“Hey! Shiro!” Matt waved as he saw his best friend with his _brother_ , Keith, the other teen taking him trick-or-treating; though not actually related, Shiro took on a big brother role to the younger boy. “Pidge, Chip, let’s go see them for a bit, okay?”

“You’re just gonna talk all night!”

“Yeah! We won’t get to collect much candy!”

The twins stared up at their older brother, their honey coloured eyes shining in the light of the setting sun and streetlamps.

“Don’t worry, you two, it won’t take long. Maybe we can trick-or-treat together; Keith looks like he hardly got started.” Matt chuckled as he led his younger siblings over to the duo. “Hey man.”

“A witch?” Shiro questioned, chuckling a bit.

“With my little familiars in tow.” Matt proclaimed, looking proud. “Though really? A space cadet?”

“Astronaut.” Shiro corrected.

“As you were for the past ten years.” Matt couldn’t help but chuckled. He then looked to Keith, seeing the boy with fake fangs and a black cape. “And what about you? Dracula?”

“I’m a vampire!” Keith chimed. “Trick or treat! I want blood, not candy!” For added effect, he gave a hiss, baring his fangs.

“Can I have your candy then?” Pidge inquired, looking hopeful. Keith’s eyes widened as he pulled his bag of candy away from her.

“Pidge, behave.” Matt reminded. “You’ll collect plenty.” He then looked to Shiro. “How about we go together? You know, safety in numbers? And I think the kids would have fun with that, too.”

“Yeah, sounds good.” Shiro nodded in confirmation.

The group went together, hitting as many houses as possible. When they stopped at a family friend’s home, the family having a party, Matt and Shiro decided to stay longer, wanting a little break. The kids, however, weren’t wanting to linger. With the teenage duo being distracted, they left, ready to collect more candy.

They went around, knocking on doors and ringing bells. Slowly but surely, their bags filled up with loads of treats and even toys. Then they came across a particularly older and rather creepy house.

“Guys, we should go back to Shiro and Matt.” Keith said, making the twins stop about halfway down the path.

“Why?” Chip asked.

“More candy!” Pidge cheered.

“But we’re not s’posed to go to strange houses.” Keith reminded. “Mom and Dad always told me that, even Shiro said so.”

“Are you scared?” Pidge put her hands on her hips. “Well I’m not!” She then ran down the path, heading to the porch. Chip was right behind her.

“Guys! We’re not supposed to! Let’s go back!” Keith called. He watched as they knocked at the door, calling out _trick-or-treat_. Keith looked worried, especially when he saw one of the lights flicker. Scared, he dared to run away, wanting to find Shiro and Matt.

At the party, Matt and Shiro were worried. The kids weren’t anywhere in sight. They found Keith when he went running back to them, wanting their help. Concerned, they followed the younger boy to the house Keith didn’t want to go to. Having a cell phone on him, Shiro called the police on the way, reporting the twins missing.

The house, which turned out to be empty, was searched. Keith insisted that there were lights, but there was no sign that anyone had been there; oddly enough, the police were certain that no one had lived there in many years. All there were were two black cats with golden eyes, the duo sitting on an old fence before jumping down.

“We’ll find them, Matt, I’m sure of it.” Shiro promised.

“How am I going to tell Mom and Dad?” Matt asked. “I was supposed to be responsible for them...”

“They’ll be found. They can’t have gotten far...” Shiro hugged his friend, hoping to help his friend. “We’ll find them. The police will find them.”

“Mrow!” Matt looked down at the cats that rubbed along his legs.

“Sorry, kitties, I can’t take you home.” Matt chuckled, crouching and petting them. “And I don’t have treats for you.” He then got up and went with Shiro, Keith on the other side of his friend and holding his hand.

“It’s my fault.” Keith mumbled. “I shouldn’t have left them to find you… I should have stayed with them...”

“It’s not your fault, kiddo.” Shiro reminded. “You did your best. And don’t worry. We’ll find them.”

-+-Ten years later-+-

“Uncle Lance! Uncle Lance! You have to dress up like a cat! Every witch needs a cat!” Nadia called out, looking to her uncle.

Lance was seventeen years old and promised his oldest brother and sister-in-law that he would take Nadia and Sylvio, their children, out trick-or-treating. He missed the sensation of doing so himself but felt he was a bit old to do the task alone; he wouldn’t say _no_ to those who would tell him to have a piece of candy, too. “A cat? But I thought I’d be a cool space pirate.”

“But Uncle Lance!” Nadia gave the widest, saddest eyes she possibly could. “Please? Pretty please?”

Lance couldn’t resist that gaze. Nadia was too adorable to deny when she gave the gaze that mirrored that of a kicked puppy, not that he actually kicked one or seen someone kick one. “Okay, okay. But you know this is last minute. I don’t even have… ears.” He saw Nadia pull out a headband with a set of black cat ears on them and a tail from an old costume. “Okay, I guess I can pair these with casual clothes. But you owe me.”

“Four extra pieces of candy in addition to chaperone tax?”

“Deal.”

Lance went and got changed. When finished, he went down to see that Sylvio was also ready, dressed up like a dragon. He bid the others a farewell and that he would have the kids back after trick-or-treating hours. He planned on meeting up with Hunk, going with him and his niece and nephew. Afterwards? He planned on going back out with Hunk, just wanting to walk around.

“I hope we get lots of candy!” Nadia cheered.

“Not like Mom will let us eat it all in one night.” Sylvio chuckled.

“Heh, Mama wouldn’t let us eat it all in one night, either. Good reason why, too.” Lance thought about the past. “Let’s just say that Rachel and I couldn’t go to school the next morning.”

“Well I don’t need to worry about school! Today’s Saturday!” Sylvio proclaimed.

“Still not gonna eat it all tonight.” Lance reminded. He then went with the kids, heading over to the park where he planned on meeting up with Hunk. He stopped when he saw someone putting up posters on light posts, fences, and trees. He knew that sight all too well.

Some years back, before Sylvio and Nadia were born and after he moved there, he learned of what happened years ago, ten to that date. The Holt family lost their two youngest children, twins, on Halloween night. Many people often told stories to warn children to be careful on Halloween night and to not go to strange houses. The twins’ disappearance was living proof of that. And worst? No one knew what became of the twins.

Matt Holt, their older brother and an adult now, never gave up. He continued searching for leads and putting up posters, progressing the pictures through a simulator, aging them accordingly.

“Uncle Lance? What’s wrong?” Sylvio asked.

“Nothing. Let’s just be cautious tonight. And if Hunk or I say _no_ about certain houses, you listen. Okay?”

“Is it because of the twins?” Sylvio looked downcast. “We heard about them in school yesterday. We had an assembly and the teachers warned us to be careful, stay in groups, and have an adult with us.”

“Good. And let’s stick to that.” Lance confirmed. He looked to see Nadia barely a few feet from them, crouching and petting two black cats. He figured they belonged to someone and were enjoying their time about the town, what with their orange bows they wore. “C’mon, Nadia, we got a coven to form and candy to collect.”

“Okay, Uncle Lance!” Nadia cheered. She gave the cats one last pet before standing up to rejoin her brother and uncle. “Bye bye, kitties! Happy Halloween.”

“Mrow!” one of the cats mewled out before they both ran off, jumping up on a fence then continuing their path.

“Okay, let’s get to Hunk and get this night started, huh?” Lance prompted.

Keith sat up on a low setting brick wall, his laptop balanced precariously on his knees as he snacked on some chips. Ten years ago, he ran off to find Matt and Shiro, leaving Pidge and Chip to face whatever fate they had encountered. He blamed himself for that long decade. Like Matt, though, he had no doubt that the twins were definitely alive. It was just a matter of figuring out where they were.

Most people gave up. After ten years, most believed the children had died. But Keith was certain they hadn’t. He felt they were still in the town. More than that, on Halloween nights the past few years, he would look around, even take pictures. He caught small snapshots of a duo dressed up as cats; while black cats weren’t an uncommon costume, the way they hid themselves and played pranks, he wondered if they were the twins. More than that, there were the two black cats that were always at the old and seemingly abandoned house all year, only really straying on Halloween.

“Hmm, where can you two be? And what happened?” Keith scowled. It had to have something to do with that old house. That old house was where he last saw them and even back then, it left a sinking feeling in his gut. “I haven’t gone back there since that night...”

“Wow! I got lots and lots of candy!” Nadia sang out as she walked with her group.

“I can’t wait to sort and trade.” another kid, Hunk’s niece, chimed.

“Remember to wait for trading until after we’re done.” Hunk reminded. “And the chaperon candy tax.”

“Yes, Hunk!” the children chorused.

Keith watched as the group kept walking, getting more houses. He then smiled. He knew Hunk and Lance well enough, that they would go back out to just walk, see the decorations, and probably stop for some pizza or garlic knots. He had spent time walking with them the previous year since he was friends with them, even if he and Lance often butted heads and didn’t see eye to eye.

He knew better than to check out the old house all alone; he needed a group and he doubted he could convince Shiro and didn’t want to drag Matt down the path. Lance, though often a skeptic and sometimes teased Keith for his cryptic seeking ways, was someone who liked a good mystery and adventure and liked seeking the truth. Hunk, though a coward, was level headed and always backing his friends.

“Hey! Hunk! Lance!” Keith called from his spot, getting the group to stop. Lance nudged Nadia and they all went over. “Still going out for a walk after hours?”

“Yeah, probably gonna stop at the diner for a bite, too.” Lance stated. “Joining us this year? If you can stop looking for Mothman long enough?” He smirked at his jab.

“Mothman is real and you know it.” Keith pointed his pen at the other male. “But yes, I’d like to. And I wanna talk with you two about something.”

“What about?” Hunk’s nephew asked.

“Sorry, kiddo, high school stuff. Boring, you know?”

Lance knew that was code for Keith having another conspiracy theory or wanted to go cryptid hunting. Well, as long as it wasn’t boring, right? “If it’s interesting, we’ll tell you guys about it.” Lance told the kids. “Anyway, sure. Meet us at the diner at… seven thirty?”

“Cool. See you guys then.” Keith confirmed.

“Unless you wanna join us for trick-or-treating and we just go together.” Hunk suggested. “C’mon, it’ll be fun.”

“Hmm… yeah, I might as well join.” Keith chuckled a bit as he packed up his computer. “Safety in numbers, you know?” He jumped down from the wall and went over to join them. “So, does this mean I get candy tax, too?” He smiled brightly when the kids started chuckling and was grateful when Nadia went through her bag and pulled out a sucker.

Trick or treat.

A common act performed by children with a deep history. Some people even believed that spirits would come back on Halloween night, wanting treats but playing tricks if they didn’t get any.

Every Halloween night was important for a pair of cats, for it was only on Halloween night that they could take on human forms. At sunrise the next morning, they would return to being cats, forced to live like that until the next Halloween. But neither cat was bothered by it; this was their life and they lived for Halloween. They lived to play pranks and collect treats.

“Ah! How boring!” one mewled from the tree they sat up in. “What do you think, brother? Shall we prank this one, too?”

“They’re such grumps, no treats for kids. Let’s play, let’s play.” the other snickered as he sat in a lower branch.

“Trick or treat, they give no treats so we play lots of pranks!” they sang before jumping down, prancing off as the tails on their _costumes_ swung behind them. They hopped up on the fence, balancing precariously. Though boring, hardly decorated, and the family not giving out treats, they did have pumpkins and bales of straw on their yard, trying to get a little bit into the season.

Though the duo stood in human form, they gave out mewling and yowling noises like the cats they were. They grinned mischievously as the lights turned on. It didn’t take long for a man to step out, a boot in hand. He threw the boot at them.

“Shut up, you damn beasts!” he called.

“Mrow!” The brother of the two dodged the boot. “Aww! He’s so grumpy!”

“What the hell?” The man was confused.

“Trick or treat. You have no treats so you chose tricks!” they sang out together. At that moment the pumpkins started exploding. It wasn’t dangerous, but it was definitely a mess and the man was too close and got soiled.

“You brats!” he called after them as they ran off, cackling.

The duo ran off into the night, disappearing before the man could catch them. They then went on to their next spot, checking to see who had treats and who needed tricks. They passed various groups, adults and older teens alike taking gaggles of children to collect candy and see the decorations. They even ran past Lance’s group, barely catching the attention of the teens.

Barely.

Keith stopped for a moment to see them run past and giggling. For that bit, he swore he saw his friends, the twins. Dressed as cats and full of giggles. They were gone before he could call out, though.

“Keith! Hey, c’mon, we can get these last few houses before we call it a night!” Lance called, realizing that they got ahead of Keith. “What’s up?”

“Nothing… not yet, anyway.” Keith stated before turning away and heading back to the group.

The duo of cats had gone around, playing their pranks as they enjoyed doing. As the trick-or-treaters dispersed and returned to their homes to sort their bounties, the cats went off elsewhere. With the crowds turning in for the night, there were less and less people to trick, but they didn’t mind so much.

The two went to a home and sat up on the roof, looking up at the moon that shone high above. The home was significant for it was the Holt family home. Though neither seemed to know or remember it, they felt a connection, wanting to visit whenever possible, regardless if they were human or cat. They sat up there and mewled to the moon, singing their Halloween songs.

“I wish Halloween would last forever.” the sister hummed.

“Yeah, but it only comes once a year, then it’s back to just being a pair of cats patrolling home.” the brother lamented. “We’ve got time until sunrise, though. Should we try some more pranks?”

“That should be fun.”

They moved to jump down from the house before stopping. They looked to see the older Holt boy returning. Though he moved out of the house, he never left town. Every Halloween, he would stay with his parents as they continued mourning the loss of their children. Ten years was a long time to not have answers.

The worst part?

Their children were alive and well and couldn’t remember anything about their old lives.

“Halloween’s a happy time for us.”

“But a sad time for others.”

The cats gave sad mews as they watched Matt enter the home, announcing himself to his family. The twins then got ready to take off for more pranks. They stopped, though, when they felt something was amiss. Alarmed, they ran off, rushing to the home they knew.

“So… why are we here again?” Hunk asked, looking nervous as they stepped into the old house. “I don’t care if it’s abandoned. This is trespassing, man! And that’s a crime!”

“The police don’t even come here anymore. No one does. Not since Pidge and Chip vanished. Hell, even before then.” Keith stated. He shone his flashlight around. “Or at least that’s what we’re told. Odd how nature hadn’t fully taken back or there’s no webs.”

“Okay, you know,” Lance looked around with his own light, “I thought you were a bit crazy with this, but you do make a valid point.”

“Lance!” Hunk whined.

“When we were finishing up with the kids, I saw two trick-or-treaters run past. They were dressed as cats.” Keith commented, straying into a kitchenette of sorts.

“A cat is a common costume. I mean, look at me.” Lance pointed out.

“Yeah but… catching a glimpse, I thought I knew who they were.” Keith admitted. “They looked like Pidge and Chip.”

“Wait, the twins who went missing a decade ago?” Lance inquired. “I thought they were-”

“No one could find them. No traces. They just disappeared.” Keith stated. “Because I ran away...” He still beating himself up over the matter. “They were my friends. And I think that was them. Something is up… and I’m sure it has to do with this house.”

“But why this house?” Hunk asked.

“Because it’s the last house I saw them at.” Keith informed. “We were trick-or-treating and left Matt and Shiro; they were taking us out but decided to stop at a party. We left and continued collecting candy. Then came here. They wanted to go up… I didn’t. I… I ran off. When we came back, there was no trace of them.” He sighed. “This house gave me bad vibes. And the lights flickering… it was wrong.”

“Well, aside from the lack of dust and other stuff to indicate abandonment...” Lance looked around. “Yeah, I get why you had a bad feeling.”

“Okay, so we all have bad feelings.” Hunk mumbled. “Can we just go? I don’t like it here...”

“Keith, there is nothing here except creepy vibes.” Lance looked over. “Let’s get out of he-ah! Shit!” He freaked out when a black cat jumped down from the rafters, landing on his shoulder and sinking its claws into his clothing, catching a bit of his skin; he was more startled than hurt. He got the cat pried loose from his clothing and instinctively tossed it to the side. “Damn! That spooked me!”

Lance then stared as the cat landed. His eyes widened as the small feline turned into a human and actually hissed at him. Then another human dropped down. They stood there plain as day, dressed in over sized shirts with cat ears on the hoods that were pulled up.

“Okay, did anyone else just see a cat turn into a human?” Hunk whimpered, looking absolutely terrified.

“Get out! This place isn’t safe for you!” the sister cat ordered. “Get out now! Get out of our home!”

“Wait a sec...” Keith examined the two. “Pidge? Chip?” He stared in shock. “It… it is you two! It has to be.” The duo bunched together more, hissing softly. “Don’t you two recognize me? It’s me, Keith. Your buddy.”

“You need to leave; this place is dangerous.” the brother, Chip, reminded. He then stopped and looked around when he heard wind hit the shutters. “Oh no...”

“She’s home...” Pidge hissed under her breath. “You three need to get out of here. Quick. Through the back.”

“I think we should listen to the strange cat twins!” Hunk proclaimed, grabbing Keith and Lance by their arms and running out.

“Wait! What about Chip and Pidge?” Keith looked desperate to help his friends.

“We can keep watch, but we need to be careful and get out.” Lance confirmed. And they did. When outside, they peaked in through one of the windows.

The front door opened and in stepped a woman with whitish hair wearing purples and blacks. The twins jolted before turning into cats again, jumping up on a table. “Hello, my darlings.” the woman cooed, gently petting the two. “Have you been good and playing pranks?” She smirked a bit. She then looked around. “Hmm? Something’s not right… did we have company?”

“Mrow!” the duo mewled out. They then transformed back, sitting on the table.

“If there were, they left before we got home.” Pidge stated.

“Probably just missed them.” Chip echoed.

“Hmm. I see.” the woman stated. “You’re back early. Not enough people to prank?”

“Just wanted to rest. We plan on going back out for more fun before sunrise.” the twins said in unison.

“Good kitties. Yes, my dears, go out and have fun. Kittens always should enjoy Halloween.” The woman kissed each of them on the forehead.

“Haggar,” Chip asked, “I wanted to ask something.”

“We both did.” Pidge added.

“There’s a house we feel connected to.”

“We don’t know it, though. It’s got a couple and a son.”

“But we keep going there.”

“Is that house special?”

The woman, Haggar, watched the two for a moment before smiling. “Maybe they just have catnip.” she mused. “Speaking of, I heard that the house on the corner of Cottage Street still has catnip in the yard.” The two perked up with little _mrrup_ noises. “Now go on, you two have fun. Who knows, maybe I’ll adopt another kitten or two. The night is still young and it’s not yet sunrise.”

“We’ll be back at sunrise then!” the twins chorused before turning back into cats. They then ran out through the still open door. Haggar smiled fondly before waving her hand to the door, shutting it without touching it. From the window, the three teens watched this. Before they could be spotted, though, they took off, staying as quiet as possible.

“We need to find Pidge and Chip.” Keith whispered. He ran away from the property, making sure Hunk and Lance stuck with him; he left the twins before, he wasn’t about to lose two more friends.

“But what was that about? Those two kept turning back and forth from human to cat and the woman just closed the door when she wasn’t near it!” Hunk whined.

“My guess is that she’s a witch.” Lance suggested. They were away from the house when the others stopped to look at him.

“You’re the first to suggest that in our group. I thought you were a skeptic.” Keith commented.

“About the chupacabra, Big Foot, and Mothman? Yes. The Loch Ness creature? Iffy. Witches? I know they exist.” Lance confirmed.

“Okay, we’ll chat about witches later. For now, we need to find Pidge and Chip.” Keith stated.

“Well we found you first.” The group looked up to the trees to see the twins up in the branches. It was Chip who spoke.

“And we wanna know how you know our names.” Pidge added.

“Of course I know your names.” Keith stated. “We were friends as kids. I mean, I may have been a bit older, but we still hung out.” He sighed. “But you two disappeared on Halloween night. Ten years ago.”

The twins looked to each other before jumping down. “Then you may know why the house calls to us?” they asked.

“You mean that house with the witch?” Keith inquired. He yelped when they each grabbed his hands and pulled him along and away from the house with the witch. Curious, Lance and Hunk followed after them, wanting to know what was going on. Keith followed the twins’ lead, curious about where they were taking him. At least it wasn’t the house with the witch.

The moment they reached a certain street, Keith knew exactly what house they were talking about. He stood on the sidewalk opposite of the family home, the twins lingering behind him. “This house… yeah...” Keith sighed. “Of course you’re drawn to here. This is where you guys are from.” The twins looked up at him. “Your parents still live here; it’s almost surprising since they were devastated after they lost you guys… but they held strong. Matt visits often. Especially every Halloween. He’s your older brother.”

“He puts up those posters.” Chip commented.

“Yeah, the figures in them look like us.” Pidge added.

“That’s because he never gave up. He still believes you’re alive.” Keith informed.

“And now we know you are.” Lance pointed out. “That means you can go home.”

“But...” The twins looked to each other. “We can’t.” Chip let out a sigh. “We don’t remember this...”

“And even if we did, we can’t.” Pidge followed up. “When the sun rises tomorrow...”

“We’re back to being cats until next Halloween.” they finished in unison.

“But you guys shifted.” Hunk reminded.

“Only for tonight.” The twins looked sad as they held hands. “Haggar made us cats. We can only shift to play pranks on Halloween. After that, we’re cats all year.”

Keith, Lance, and Hunk were all horrified. They must have had their memories wiped so that on Halloween nights, they couldn’t go home to tell their parents what happened. Whatever reason Haggar had, she had done a cruel act. And then there was the comment.

When the sun came up the next day, their Halloween was over and they would be cats for an entire year until the next Halloween. They didn’t have much time before they would be cats again.

“Okay, so we gotta fix this, right?” Hunk asked. “Get them back to being humans and get their memories?” He looked worried. “But how? How do we do this?”

Lance was in thought. “I… I think I know a way.” he suggested. “But… guys, please keep open minds about this?”

“We just found Pidge and Chip after ten years, saw them change into cats and back, saw a witch use magic to close a door, my mind is beyond open at this point.” Keith stated.

“Same.” Hunk nodded.

“Okay… then it’s time to visit a witch. And thankfully a good one.” Lance offered. The others looked perplexed but went with it.

Lance led them to the other side of town, catching the night bus to make it quicker. During the ride, Pidge and Chip remained as cats. When people questioned it, Lance had a quick cover of _just making sure black cats are safe on this trying night_. With that, no one questioned it further.

“Okay, so you know a witch?” Hunk asked. “Since when?”

“Since I was little and found out on accident. But it was amazing and she’s kinda been teaching me. I’m not skilled yet, can’t even perform a good luck spell,” Lance admitted. Keith and Hunk were stunned to learn of this, but they were keeping their minds open. “So, we’re gonna meet her. Maybe she’ll know what to do to help these two.”

“I hope so. The Holt family has suffered enough.” Keith pet one of the cats, Pidge, who curled up on his lap, purring. “It’s time they get happiness.”

A young woman named Allura was in her home, sweeping up the floor. Fallen leaves had blown in through the window and she was aiming to push the leaves out. She stopped when she heard a clatter, looking over to see the extra broom on the floor. She always kept it by the door, positioned so it wouldn’t typically fall on its own. She then smiled.

“I best prepare.” she commented, returning the broom meant for cleaning to the hallway closet. She then went to the kitchen, getting the pot back on and preparing hot cocoa. She prepared for guests, getting drinks and treats ready. She smiled after setting five cups of cocoa, hot and steaming, on the coffee table in the living room with a platter of cookies and a bowl of candy. “I think it’s about time.”

Allura went to the front door, smoothing out her costume, a pink and blue witch’s dress with matching hat. She then opened it just as Lance was going up the walkway with the others, the twins back in their human forms. “Welcome back, Lance. I was expecting you. And our guests.”

“I figured you would.” Lance smiled. He went up and hugged Allura. “Guys, meet Allura. She’s not only a witch, but she’s also my cousin.” He looked to Allura. “Allura, these are my friends, Keith and Hunk. And… well, I hope we can be friends.”

“Pidge and Chip Holt. Oh dear, you two have quite the curse on you.” Allura sighed. “Well, come inside, let’s talk over some treats.”

“Treats mean no tricks.” the duo commented, grinning happily.

Allura chuckled. “Yes, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t play tricks and left my pumpkins alone.” she told them. She then led them inside, letting the others make themselves comfortable. She sat down in her favourite armchair after getting tea from the kitchen.

“So you can tell they’re cursed?” Hunk asked, sipping on the cocoa.

“I know curses well enough.” Allura informed. “Oh, not because I cast them. As a witch, it is good to study the good and the bad in magic; you cannot expect to do good without understanding the bad.”

“Oh.” Hunk nodded.

“Allura,” Lance spoke up, “do you think you can break it? That’s in your power, isn’t it?”

Allura thought it over before getting up. She went to the twins and crouched near them. “This is strong and powerful magic on them. It’s trapping them, binding them.” She held her hands out, getting the twins to each place a hand in hers. “But… It should be doable. Their memories, though… that is beyond my power. Only the caster can return them. Or they would return upon the caster’s death.”

“The caster is some witch named Haggar I think.” Keith said. The twins nodded in confirmation.

“Haggar?” Allura was alarmed.

“You know of her?” Lance questioned.

“Indeed. She’s been a troubling witch… harming others for power...” Allura sighed.

“She keeps turning people into cats if they stray into that house.” Chip pointed out.

“That’s all we know. Remember.” Pidge added. “We were the last ones so far.”

“And I think I know why. This curse that’s on you, it saps your life energy. You’re tied to her and she thrives on it. It’s not the last but… I can’t be certain how many more Halloweens you have after this.”

“Wait… as in they can… die in like… a few years?” Hunk asked. The teens were horrified at this; the twins looked downcast.

“You can break this curse, right?” Keith questioned. “Please...”

Allura nodded. “I can break the curse; it’ll take the moment, but I can.” she said. “Lance, I’ll list ingredients; I have them all here, but I need you to collect them. I’ll also need to contact others; we’ll need a group if we’re going to save not only these two but also everyone else form Haggar.” She got back up. “Most of the coven is away and too far away to come back to help. But a couple can get here within a couple of hours.”

“We have until sunrise.” Hunk informed.

“They’ll be here before then. Less time if Romelle drives.” Allura chuckled. She went to her bookshelf and grabbed a tome of sorts. She skimmed through it. “Ah ha, got it.” She brought it over to Lance and handed it over. “Here we go. Lance, you know where to find all of these. Now I have calls to make.”

“Okay.” Lance confirmed. “These will be easy to gather.” He then smiled at Pidge and Chip. “We’ll get you two back to normal in no time.”

“I think the thing I’m gonna miss is being a cat.” Chip admitted.

“And the tricks. But… to know we have a family… to be able to go back to them soon...” Pidge sighed.

“Lance, go on and get the ingredients. I’ll call my friends to help us with Haggar then prep to break this curse.” Allura stated.

Allura had drawn on the wood floor in the dining room, writing symbols and shapes before placing bundles of herbs at different points. “I need you boys to be silent during this so I can concentrate.” she stated. “But you can sit in here during the spell.” She then looked to the twins. “Okay, you two, I need you in the middle and with these candles.” She handed each one an unlit candle.

“This will really work? We won’t be cats anymore?” Chip inquired.

“Being a cat isn’t too bad but… being cursed...” Pidge added.

“Well, you won’t be cursed. Who knows what is possible for magic; there are some witches who have learned shapeshifting magic.” Allura informed. She got the two to sit in the middle, sitting on their knees as they held onto the candles. She then went outside the circle she drew, standing in front of them with her own candle.

“Levego Agoenum.” Allura said, starting the spell. At the word, the candles all lit up, but instead of reds and oranges in the flames, they were purple. And they were bright. Shadows were cast and two were particularly strange. The ones of the twins were not human at all, they were monstrous shadows of cats. With the curse, cats were their true form. Allura continued the spell, changing in what sounded like a different language to Hunk and Keith.

The candles flickered and the shadows behind the twins writhed, as though they were being attacked. The twins, however, were as still as tombstones. They showed no signs of pain or even discomfort. Allura continued the spell, repeating herself a few times as the shadows shrank down. It took several minutes to pass, but the shadows dissipated and human shaped shadows showed up.

What no one seemed to expect was for the twins to lean forward as their bodies shifted again, turning into cats. The candles suddenly brightened, creating a flash. When the flash dimmed, the others were alarmed. When lighting returned to normal and the candles were out, they saw that the twins weren’t there, neither in human nor cat form.

“What… what happened? Where’d they go?” Hunk looked around.

“Allura, I thought you could break the curse! They turned back into cats and just… vanished!” Keith snapped.

“I don’t know why this happened, but… I’m certain of it. I’m sure the curse was broken.” Allura assured. “To be safe, though, we still need to take out Haggar. Then we can look for Pidge and Chip.” As unsure as the others were, they did agree that they needed to stop Haggar. “We must prepare to take out Haggar before the others arrive.” She then sighed. “I am worried, though.”

“What about?” Lance inquired.

“We may not have enough people. Only two of my fellow witches can make it… but we need more… nine total for a coven would be good. Twelve better.” Allura let out a sigh. “We can’t give up, though...”

“Does… does everyone have to be a witch?” Keith asked.

“Well, we all have a little witch in each of us.” Allura responded. “Do you think you know some people?”

“A few.” Keith nodded. “I just hope I can convince them.”

When Matt got a call from Keith, it was unexpected to begin with. Since Pidge and Chip disappeared, Keith isolated himself quite a bit, blaming himself for their disappearance. He was surprised but pleased. The happiness, though, melted away and blossomed into confusion. He was asked to meet with the others at a certain address and, if possible, to bring a broom. He messaged Shiro to see what he thought, but Shiro responded that he and Adam, his husband, were sent the same request.

Matt told his parents that he was called up by some friends that needed help, so he departed, driving to the address of Allura’s home. Outside, he could see Keith sitting on the front steps. Just behind him, Adam parked his car and stepped out with Shiro.

“Keith, what’s this about? Visiting at a strange address and wanting us to bring brooms? What gives?” Shiro asked. He pulled out two brooms, handing one over to Adam across the car.

“It’s… well...” Keith stood up as he watched the others approach. “Oh boy. This sounded better in my head.”

“Well, might as well get it out and we’ll judge you later.” Adam commented.

“Adam, behave.” Shiro sighed.

Adam motioned to Keith who actually chuckled a bit. “What? He liked that comment.”

“Anyway,” Matt spoke up, “what’s up?”

“Okay, just… don’t ask questions until I’m done.” Keith took in a deep breath. “Pidge and Chip are still alive. They were cursed by an evil witch and forced to live as cats for the entire year, only turning human on Halloween night. Their memories were stolen so they didn’t know who they were in the end, only their names and they felt drawn to your home. Or well, your parents’ home. So, Lance, Hunk, and I got the help of another and nicer witch. We think we have the curse broken but the twins kinda vanished. But Allura, the witch we met who is good, assured us that it was broken. To ensure that not only the twins are safe but also everyone else, we need to get rid of Haggar, the evil witch. Doing so should also return the twins’ memories. But we need a bit of a coven, even if we don’t actively practice magic. Thus why I called you up so we could have a full group, or as much of one, and we can put this at ease then get back to finding Pidge and Chip. Again. But… we did see them. We talked with them and we’re trying to help them.”

Keith wished he was sitting in a box and keeping to himself. The others just stared at him, the information sinking in. Adam, though, was the first to speak.

“Either this is for real or I should really switch to decaff so late in the night.” Adam took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. “Wow. Did not expect this.”

“Keith, this isn’t some Halloween trick is it?” Shiro asked.

“I wouldn’t joke about any of this.” Keith declared. “I swear it. We saw them and we’re trying to help them.”

Matt went up to Keith. “You really saw them? Like… legit Pidge and Chip?” Keith nodded. Matt nearly broke down and cried; he flung himself at the younger male and hugged him. “Thank you. Thank you so much.” He then backed off. “Okay, let me grab the broom; I didn’t even know what to tell my folks when I asked to borrow it.”

“So… why do we need brooms?” Adam asked.

“I’ll let Allura explain.” Keith said. He waited for Matt to join them again before going inside, leading them to the kitchen where Allura was with the others, including two more she invited to help. Lotor and Romelle, good friends and also witches. In the kitchen, Allura was cooking up a sort of potion in a pot, brewing it with Lance’s help.

“Ugh, what’s that stench?” Matt asked, covering his nose and mouth.

“A potion. Good for doing away with evil.” Allura responded.

“The fumes also does wonders for the pores.” Lance added.

“It’ll take a moment to finish up, then we can head to Haggar’s place; that’s where we’ll need to do the spell.” Allura explained. “We’ll get this ended by sunrise.” She left Lance to go to Keith’s guests. “It’s nice meeting you. My name is Allura.”

As they prepared the potion and got through introductions, Allura explained their plan to take down Haggar. It was quite easy once explained. They had to focus their thoughts and energy on getting rid of the evil witch, holding their brooms in position. To the others, it seemed rather self explanatory.

“Okay, it’s ready for transport, Allura.” Lotor assured. He and Romelle got the potion poured into another container so they could safely transport it. “Any sign of the twins?”

“Not yet… maybe they returned to that house; it’s the only thing they really knew all these years.” Allura sighed. “Anyway, we need to hurry; we only have a few hours until sunrise.”

“Then let’s hurry up.” Matt said. “Let’s kick witch ass and save my siblings.”

Allura set up candles around the room of the old house, getting them lit. The others prepared the brooms, laying them on the floor handle to brush. The potion was near the back door, ready to be used. All that awaited them was Haggar.

“What if she doesn’t come?” Shiro asked.

“She’s a witch who’s lived her for however long.” Lotor commented. “Witches know when people enter their homes.” He looked to their circle. “Once she’s in the circle, we need to be quick.”

“And diligent.” Romelle pointed out. “Witches who use magic for evil will not hesitate to harm others.”

There was a call of sorts, a screeching cackle, that caught everyone’s attention as the front door suddenly slammed open. This was it. They knew Haggar was returning. The witch herself stepped in, her eyes hardened with malice.

“I see I have company.” she rasped out. “Company who dared mess with my darling kitties. Tell me, dears, what have you done to my little familiars?”

Matt wanted to lash out at the woman, tell her that they weren’t her familiars and that they were his siblings, but Lotor braced his arm against him, keeping him back.

“Haggar, you won’t be harming anyone else, not if we have any say in it!” Allura declared.

Haggar gave a wicked cackle before trying to attack, using harsh purple, electric-looking magic to strike at the others. Allura tried to fight back, counteracting against her spells. She tried to force Haggar into the circle, but the witch had noticed it early on and was not going to make it easy.

“You think you can get rid of me that easily? Hah!” Haggar hissed. Her gaze darted around the others, gauging who was most vulnerable. She then grinned at Hunk, the most timid and worried of the makeshift coven. She was ready to attack, electricity sparking in her hand. Before it could grow and she could send it towards the teen, a cat jumped down from the rafters, landing on her shoulder like it did to Lance earlier. Haggar let out a violent shriek as the cat dug its claws in more than with the teenager. The second cat jumped down soon after, this one landing on Haggar’s head. It leaned down and started clawing at her face.

“You brats! You ungrateful selfish brats!” Haggar screeched as she grabbed the one off her face and flung it to the side; judging by the position of the ribbon the cat wore, that one was probably Pidge. She then went and threw the other cat, Chip, to the side.

Haggar was in pain and ticked off. More than that, she was distracted. Lance saw this and knew he had to get her in the circle. He ran at her and kicked her heard, forcing the witch to be off balance. Another kick and she stumbled into the circle.

“Now!” Allura called. At her cue, the makeshift coven got into position, grabbing the brooms and holding them in position as they raised them up. “Evil beware, evil begone.” Allura was the first to start and the others followed suit, repeating the same thing over and over again. At first they started soft but then they grew louder and more emotional with it.

Inside the circle, Haggar looked around. “No. No!” She started panicking. “No! You can’t do this! You can’t do this to me!” She ran to the side, wanting to escape, but the magic being cast kept her trapped. She gave out an inhuman screech as she froze up in the middle. Her skin started cracking as though she were brittle plaster. From those cracks, some light, namely in pinks and purples, started to stream through. “This… can’t be… happening!” With a final cry, the light consumed her and she burst into dust, the particles going up.

“This is it, guys, ashes to ashes, dust to dust.” Lotor commented. The dust fell to the floor.

“Looks like it’s time to clean house.” Romelle chimed.

And they did. They swept the dust of Haggar’s end out the back door and into the yard there. To ensure she would not come back, they poured their potion over the dust, destroying it completely.

“That should have her.” Allura confirmed.

“But what about the twins?” Keith inquired, looking positively worried.

Indeed. They were still cats when they saw the two, certain that those two black cats weren’t just strays and were actually the twins. The others checked inside the house, worried when they didn’t find them. When they stepped out front, the sun was starting to rise. Halloween was officially over. More than that, there were two cats sitting on the fence and watching them.

“Oh no...” Lance looked horrified. “They’re still cats.”

“How can this be? It wasn’t supposed to fail… I was certain...” Allura sighed. She went over to the cats and stood before them. “I’m sorry, you two. I tried so hard.” she told them. “But I won’t give up… I’ll find a way to reverse this curse on you.”

Matt stared. Those cats were definitely his little brother and sister? His baby siblings? He went over and stood beside Allura. “Pidge? Chip?” The cats turned their attention towards him. “It… it really is you, isn’t it? You’re really them?” He couldn’t help as the tears fell down his face. “You’re here… you two are really here and alive.” He smiled. “Okay. I won’t give up. If I can help, I will. I want to help you two.” He wiped his face. “But… wow. Cats. How am I gonna explain this to Mom and Dad? They’ll think I finally cracked after all these years.”

The others were sad, worried that the twins would be cats for even longer. Or forever. However, with that, they didn’t expect the next thing. The duo launched themselves off the fence in unison. In midair, they actually transformed into humans and actually tackled their brother to the ground, hugging him.

“Matt! I missed you so much!” Pidge cried.

“Ten years is too long.” Chip echoed.

“Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!” Matt managed to sit up and hugged his siblings. “You guys… you’re back. You’re really back. And you remember me? Oh my gosh, this is… this is….” He went into full-on bawling, happy to have them back. “I’m here. I’m here for you.”

“Oh! It did work!” Allura was proud.

“Looks like they may have been transported elsewhere afterwards.” Lotor pointed out, having been told of what happened earlier.

“But… they were cats still. Is that supposed to happen?” Hunk inquired.

“Well, I did mention that some witches can shapeshift and anything was possible.” Allura reminded. She then smiled fondly, seeing the twins hug their brother, the siblings happy to be back together.

“ _Ten years ago on Halloween night, Christopher ‘Chip’ Holt and Katie ‘Pidge’ Holt went missing, disappearing while trick-or-treating. Now, November first, ten years later, the twins have been found safely. With no answers in sight as to what happened and where they have been, police are hoping that they are finally safe and there won’t be a repeat. For the time being, they are in the hospital getting proper care, making sure they are healthy, but we’re assured that they are in stable condition. More than that, the family is reunited and spending time together.”_

Pidge turned off the TV in her and Chip’s hospital room. Despite knowing what happened, the group kept the information about witches and curses to themselves; not everyone was as open to magic and they didn’t want anyone thinking they went crazy.

“I can’t wait to go home.” Pidge said. “Man, ten years, how much do Chip and I need to clean our room?”

“Heh, oh man, I almost forgot we left it a disaster zone.” Chip snickered a bit.

“I’ve kept it tidied for you.” Colleen, the twins’ mother, said. “So don’t worry. Oh my, we’ll need to get bigger beds, huh? Should we set up the guest room, too? Or do you want to stay together?”

“Totally together.” the twins assured.

“Oh, but a bunk bed would be nice. I call top.” Pidge grinned brightly.

“All the better for me so I can put up sheets like a canopy.” Chip chimed.

“This is nice.” Sam smiled brightly as he hugged his wife. “We got our babies back.”

“We did. This is the best day ever.” Colleen nodded in agreement. “I’m so happy.”

Matt stood to the side, smiling brightly. It felt good to have the family back together. And more than that? He got exposure to something new, magic, and his siblings came out of it with special gifts to their lives.

-+- Halloween, one year later -+-

“Are you seriously dressed as Mothman?” Lance asked.

“Who are you to judge; you’re a cat again.” Keith smirked. Lance pointed to his niece, Nadia once again a witch. Smiling, Keith crouched. “So, are you a good witch?” he asked.

“Yup! And I’m gonna cast a good luck spell so we get lots and lots of candy!” Nadia cheered.

“Allura will be expecting us at the end.” Lance whispered, getting Keith to chuckle. “Anyway, let’s go meet up with Hunk.” He started walking with his little group, ready to group up more. “By the way, where are Pidge and Chip? Sixteen or not, I thought they’d dress up and join us.”

“Oh, they’re dressed up, that’s for certain.” Keith hummed. “They’re just… doing things their fun and intriguing way.”

Indeed. They may not have been Halloween spirits cursed to be cats, but they were definitely a pair of twins who loved to prank others. And what better way than to safely explode pumpkins to make messes, spook people passing alleyways, and making people think they hear voices behind decorations and in trees. When they felt kind, they took on their cat forms, purring and rubbing against children, accepting pets.

“Hey you two.” Matt looked up in a tree to see his siblings sitting in their cat forms, their orange bows giving them away in the shadows of the branches. “C’mon, the night’s moving on and so are we.”

The twins returned to their human forms since no one was near to spot them. “Aw, c’mon, Matt, we were having fun.” they whined together.

“I heard that Allura was making peanut butter candy and peanut butter cookies.” Matt smirked. The twins jumped down and hugged him.

“Let’s go!” they cheered.

“Ooh! I hope she has cocoa, too!” Chip bounced around a bit.

“With lots of marshmallows!” Pidge giggled.

“C’mon, we’re meeting up with the others, too.” Matt said.

“And we should call Mom and Dad on the way.” Chip reminded.

Pidge pulled out her phone. “They’ve been messaging us all night. Not that I blame them.” she informed.

“We’ll call on the way to Allura’s then, let them know that we’re having fun and being safe.” Matt assured, guiding them over to where he parked his car. “And that house that you always blow up pumpkins. Why that house?”

“Because the owners are boring.” the twins responded in unison, mischievous grins on their faces.

Matt chuckled as he shook his head. “You two are weird.” he said. “But I’m glad I have you back. And I’m glad we can enjoy Halloween together again. Especially since now you have a choice to be a couple of cats.”

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Halloween!  
> Remember, guys, always be safe when out on Halloween night. Mind your manners and don't go with strange people or to unknown/strange houses. Always travel with your group and have fun. Be safe!  
> And thank you for reading.  
> For now, I bid you adieu. Until the next fic!


End file.
